San Francisco 49ers
-With a win over the 1-14 St. Louis Rams this Sunday, we will finish the season 8-8, with a division record of 5-1. It will be our best record since 2002 when we made the playoffs at 10-6, and leave us just 2-3 games shy of making the playoffs this season. Six of our eight losses came by seven points or less. We're right on the cusp of being a playoff team. It looks like the tides are finally starting to turn.
-Alex Smith has a career high 60.5 completion percentage and 17 touchdowns this season. His interception total is still a little high at 12, but he is making strides. I full expect to see Smith under center in 2010, and will be happy about it. Looks like the man is finally getting the chance he deserves.
-Frank Gore rushed for over 1,000 yards for the fourth straight year, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He did that on a career low 206 carries since he became the starter in 2006.
-Vernon Davis...do I really even need to say anything? 72 receptions, 876 yards, and 12 touchdowns. He led the team in all three of those categories. By far his best year since entering the league, and he is finally starting to live up to his pre-draft hype. And just in case you didn't know, the only player in the NFL right now with more reception touchdowns is Randy Moss with 13.
-Crabtree and Morgan are two young and capable wide receivers, and look to have a bright future ahead of them as the top two receivers on the team. Alongside Davis and an improving Alex Smith, the 49ers could develop into a well balanced offense with serious threats both through the air and on the ground.
-Statistically, our defense was middle of the road, but anyone paying attention knows that we have one of the NFL's elite defensive units that only looks bad on paper because our (for the most part) dismal offense kept them on the field longer than they should be. Our linebacker corps of Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Manny Lawson, and Ahmad Brooks combined for 19.5 of the team's 36 sacks. And of course, Willis continued to be the driving force with 109 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions, and a touchdown this year. What an amazing player, and I look forward to following his NFL career to the end.
-Third-year veteran Dashon Goldson at safety posted career highs this year with 73 tackles, a team-leading four interceptions, and three forced fumbles. He's a solid part of an otherwise shaky secondary.
-I'm excited for next year...with two first round picks, we should be able to address our problems areas of offensive line, defensive end (someone to play opposite Justin Smith), and defensive secondary. Add another year of player and coaching consistency, and we are definitely early playoff favorites.
